Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1887-11-30
SOUTHERN OYSTERS.
An Afternoon with Oystermen on
the New Orleans Levee.

ana commerce In New orleans, says the
! TTUeS-Dem erat, more leisure and attractions
than in any other city tits size, Importance
and modern Innovations. This, perhaps, is
owing to the fact that the permanent pop
ulation of the city is that of the most cos
mopohtan character. From the bleak
coast of the north countries to the sunny
shores Of the southern latitudes portions of
the vast army OF emigrants seeking free
dom and homes in the United States locate
and go into business IN New Orleans. Here
| they meet and commingle in every walk of
| life, introducing their antique customs that
only partly merge into those of the coun-
| try, thus forming in various ways a pc
culiar state of affairs that is both unique
and charming.
Besides this distinctive line of social man.
ners, softened and made gentle by Southern
influence, this strange intercourse of the
different races has also established here
variety of business interests, several of
which are conducted almost exclusively by
| certain natonalities.
The oyster trade is an illustration of this
| kind of commercial exclusiveness. 1t is
almost entirely in the hands of the Aus
trians and Italians, although a few French
and Creoles are engaged in it.
Dealing in oysters is no sinecure, for it
| men, Injured to rough sailor life.
The principal rendezvous of the oyster
feet is at the wharf at the foot of St Philip,
Hospital and Ursulines streets. There are
engaged in this floating trade between two
| hundred and three hundred luggers, that
present picturesque sight as they lay
| bobbing nose on at the landing. They
stretch out here in long line, sometimes
| several rows deep. They are one-masted
craft, ranging from two TO eight tons, and
so built as TO be capable of withstanding
most any sort of weather. Though carry
| ing but one sail the spread of canvas is con-
siderable, while the boat itself is large
enough to hold two hundred or three hun
dred tubs Of oysters and affords room for
| the captain and his crew of two or three
| men.
The principal oyster-fields are at Bayou
| Cook Grand Isle, the Salt Beds, the Tim
| balier Islands, and the reefs lying between
number of the lugger captains have their
own fisherman, who supply them with the
| bivalves under contract the year round.
Seven or eight or even more fishermen are
thus engaged supplying the delicious she'll
fish to one captain, although when they are
short he can obtain his load wherever he
can get it.
The fishermen generally work on their
| own hook, though some are in partnership
| with the luggermen. The first-class sell to
| the captain at so much tub a tub being a
-four barrel sawed in two and heaped UP in
the measure. For Bayou Cook oysters the
price at the fishing grounds is $3.50 per bar
rel, and no less. There is no beating down
it is either pay or no take" On his ar
rival here the captain sells his cargo at the
rate of from Sl.75 to $3.50 per BARREL &C
cording to the demand On rare occasions
an overstocked market causes q loss, the
| price dropping down to S1.25 per barrel
Besides his profit in the difference between
the buying and selling price, the lugger-
| man also has a margin in the measure, CIV
| ing less in the same marketable quantity
than he receives. This covers his expenses
of canal tolls, towage and other incidental
| outlays.
The second class Of fishermen, who are in
| partnership with the luggermen, gather
their oysters and await the returns in their
regular course of business. The captain
brings his cargo to the city, disposes of it,
/ pays the expenses of the trip, and the bal
ance is divided, one share for the captain
one share for the boat, which goes also to the
| captain, and one share each to the others
| The dividends are usually declared weekly
| The utmost fairness and honesty exists
| among these men, and no case of embezzle-
ment Of funds or cheating is on public rec
ord. II such thing ever happened it has
| been kept secret, and is not in the recollec-
ton of the oldest trader.
The fishermen all live in little cabins put
up wherever there is dry spot in the
vicinity of their grounds. They seldom if
| ever leave their place Of work. whether
| their beds are private ones or are on public
| bottoms, and are provisioned from the city
by the captains, who purchase their stores
| and take them down to them on their return
trip. Outside of fresh bread they get what
the market affords, especially in the way of
wine, for they are all great wine-drinkers:
but drunkenness is said to be unknown
among them.
| When the oysters are raked up and gath
| cred in the natural state by means of tongs,
| they are in clusters, but they are separated
| and ''culled" with small hatchets used for
that purpose, and then the oysters are
'.bedded." They are allowed to remain in
| this state for two or three months, when
they are considered sufficiently cultivated
for the market This is the system adopted
with the best class of oysters. The in
ferior grades are fished up, put aboard q
lugger, and brought up to town without
selection.
When the season opens, which is about the
middle of August, continuing until the last
of April, the fishermen begin to gather the
oysters and prepare to deliver them TO the
! luggers. When the boats arrive at the
oyster grounds they cast anchor of some
distance from the beds, which are located
in shallow water, and when ready to take
on cargo hoist flag to indicate that fact to
the fishermen, who then fill up their skiffs
pull to the lugger and load her up. Al.
though these oysters come from the same
vio nifty, from beds lying very nearly il
contact, there is often quite a difference in
their quality. The poorer ones are put ir
first and the best on top. When the Iuggei
comes up to town the captain barters on his
load to tie dealers as they give their orders,
and so II often happens that the first served
receives a much better quality of oysters
out of the same lot than those who come
after.
When the luggers como up to the city to
make their landing the captain sells out his
cargo TO the dealers that are regular Gus
toners or TO others whose orders he can
Ill This ends his connection with his
cargo. He has nothing to do with the dis.
charging of the oysters. This is attended
to by the buyer, who has to pay fifteen cents
for every two baskets or ten cents for one
basket TO have them carried ashore This